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multi-fandomfuckboy · 7 months ago

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Stranger Than Fiction

Part 27: Gifts

Billy Hargrove x Reader (Slowburn)

Part 1,... (Masterlist)...Part 27, Part 28 (Coming Soon)...

AN: Sorry about the wait Word Count: 3,816 Warnings: none

The rest of your night is spent tossing and turning in bed. The prickling along the skin of your hand and wrist are your only reminder of what happened in the car, not to mention the memories that flood your mind every time you close your eyes. Billy’s coy smile, how his eyes devoured your every move, the hungry glint in them at the sounds you made. Your stomach writhes, flipping and swirling the more your mind lingers on the interaction.

It irritates you, the effect he has on you. Every smirk, or touch sends your heart into overdrive. It doesn't help that your experience with relationships up to this point have never gone further than hand holding. But, this electricity that exists between you and Billy seems to be short circuiting all your logic and reason.

You’ve never spent a lot of time thinking about things like this, you’re not a child, Nancy has told you plenty about her relationship with Steve. You just never took any interest in it. Until now it seems. You're plagued by thoughts of Billy pressed against you, his calloused hands holding you tightly, his lips against your skin, the feel of his hot breath mixing with yours. Fuck.

You turn your head, releasing a pent up scream into your pillow until you're out of breath.

When exhaustion finally wins out, you’re cast into another restless sleep.

———-

You’ve been here before. It’s dark and cold, familiar. Home. It’s quiet right now, for now. You’re not needed, yet. Fear twists through every tendril of your being, as much a part of you as the darkness. You can feel the shadow in your mind, waiting. Ready to bend, break if needed. You’re tired. But, there is no rest here. No peace. No hope. Forever.

———

This is different. Not cold, warmth washes over you. The sound of crashing waves is rhythmic, almost like breathing. It soothes the initial panic of being in a new place, so bright and peaceful. It’s so different from the other place. You are able to glance around, there is no one else here. An empty beach. It’s nice.

———

The sound of your mom trying to sneak out of your room wakes you the next morning.

“Mom?” You ask, propping yourself up on an elbow, wiping sleep from your eyes. She stops, her hand on the door. She’s still in her scrubs, the only illumination in the room is the light coming in from the hallway.

“Hey sweetie.” She greets you softly, turning to face you, an apologetic smile already on her lips. “I was just checking on you, go back to sleep.” She tries to reassure you. Your gut twists, you can barely see it in the dim light but it’s definitely there. The ever present worry you inspire in her. You were having some kind of nightmare, you can feel it in the tense in your muscles and the ache in your bones. Feeling the exhaustion that plagues you from the tension your dreams bring into reality.

“I’m sorry mom.” You sigh, running a hand through your hair feeling the dampness of sweat. Her smile falters, pulling tighter at your apology.

“Don’t be sorry love. It just takes… time.” She reminds you. You know it’s what she needs to believe. That with enough time your mind will heal, that the nightmares will eventually fade.

“It’s getting better.” The lie tastes bitter. Her shoulders sag slightly, like she can feel the lie physically. She won’t press though, both of you are happy to let it sit between you. It’s easier than facing reality.

She pads over to your bed, gently stooping to press a kiss on your brow.

“I love you.” She says softly. You can’t help the small smile that pulls from you.

“I love you too.” You reply reflexively. You always say it back, just in case. It’s an easy truth, for the both of you. She pulls away, her smile a bit more relaxed than it was. “Go back to sleep.” She says again, patting your head as she steps back towards the door. She gives you a pointed look you know she normally only reserves for unruly patients, leaving no room for argument.

“Alright. No need to pull out the nurse mom voice.” You joke, lying back down. She laughs lightly at your joke, slipping out the door.

“Goodnight kiddo.” She says softly. You roll onto your other side, your back towards the door. You watch the light narrow into a sliver of the wall opposite you as she closes the door, leaving it open only a crack. Then laying still, you focus on slowing your breathing, listening to the sounds of your mom moving around the house getting ready for bed. She’s awake for another half hour, eating leftovers, looking through the mail, showering, and finally you hear the springs of her mattress creak as she gets into bed.

You listen to the silence for a little bit. You like the quiet. Your life has been chaos for so long, from the moment you woke up in the hospital and every day since it feels like the world has erupted into too many sounds. Everyone talking, a constant low level buzz of activity. It’s sometimes enough to drive you crazy.

When you're certain your mom is asleep, you quietly slip out of bed and get dressed. Glancing at the clock on your bedside table, you note that it’s only 6AM, still early enough for your morning walk to be peaceful. The house is still dark, but you move through it easily navigating in the dim light of morning. You gather your journal, and fill your water bottle placing both into your bag. When you go to put on your shoes, the dangling remainder of your sole catches your attention. You inspect the dilapidated sneaker for a moment, trying to think of the best way to cobble it back together. You eventually settle on duct taping the pieces back together, wrapping the tape around the shoe a couple of times to make sure it's secured.

It’s not pretty, but technically it’s a whole shoe again. Satisfied that your solution is functional, you lace up your shoes and grab Steves’ jacket from the coat rack. Slinging your bag over your shoulder you head out the door. The dawn is cold, the sky a dim shade of gray, everything still cast in shadow the morning fog slowly creeping over the earth.

You pick up a steady pace, heading for your favorite sunrise spot. There is a hill about a mile east that looks out over the currently barren fields and will be the first spot in Hawkins to see the sun. It also happens to have a very comfortable rock that is perfect for sitting and writing.

By the time you reach it, the sun has just started to peak over the horizon, bathing the top of the hill in golden sunlight. You can feel its warmth on your exposed skin, the cold morning air still clinging to the shadows. You take out your water bottle and notebook, setting the empty bag down on the cold rock. You sit down, positioning yourself to face the sunrise, taking a moment to watch the earth in front of you slowly brighten, the light washing away the remaining shadows. It’s quiet here, as quiet as it can be in nature. There are still the chirps of the birds and the rustling of dead leaves as small animals pass by, but peaceful.

You know that you can’t stay out too long. You may not notice the cold but your body still has a physical response to it and it's still the middle of December. So you open your notebook and begin.

The story you’ve been working on is not peaceful. It is a terrible story about a young boy raised to fight monsters. He’s known no other life, he was born with the burden of being the only one who can see these monsters, and he can never stop. But the older he gets, and the harder he fights to protect the world from evil, he realizes that a bit of that evil has taken root in him. It starts small, a black spot behind his ear, but it grows. It digs its roots in deep, twisting its way into his soul.

In the beginning the young man starts off as the hero, but eventually the evil will consume him and he will become what he fought so hard against. You know the ending, but it’s not written yet. There is still hope in the middle of the story.

When you notice the red tinge in your fingertips brought on by the chilly December air you stop and pack up your things. Taking one last glance around at the now illuminated field, you turn and head back home.

You arrive at the same time Steve pulls into your driveway. You can see him through the window as you approach and he looks a bit worse for wear. His hair is damp, hanging loosely around his pale face. His eyes are hidden behind sunglasses but are no doubt blood shot with circles under them. He cuts the engine as you approach the drivers’ side, opening the door to haul himself out with a grunt of effort.

“Alright grandpa, how’s that hangover treating you?” You ask, unable to stop your teasing smirk even for his sake. He sighs heavily, closing the door just to lean back against it, crossing his arms over his chest.

“What kind of friend are you?” He asks, lifting a brow. “How could you let me drink that much?” You come to a stop in front of him, crossing your arms to mirror him.

“Because according to you, you’re ‘a grown ass man’ who ‘knows how to handle his alcohol’, and because I ‘never let you have any fun’.” You say, throwing air quotes around some of the excuses he gave you when you tried to get him to slow down the night before. A bit of pink brightens his cheeks at the reminder, but he laughs good naturedly at your teasing.

“Stop holding me accountable for my own actions.” He groans. “I don’t feel good, so I’m just going to blame you to make myself feel better.” He goes on, pressing his finger tips against his temples. His small smile brings a bit of life back to his ashen face.

“Oh of course. Whatever makes your life easier Steve.” You concede, your own smile pulling at your lips. He huffs a laugh, lifting his sunglasses onto his head. There is a beat of silence before he clears his throat, his cheeks flushing a bit more.

“And- uh- thanks. For, you know, babysitting me last night.” He says sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his beck. Your stomach drops at the reminder, you didn’t think Steve was sober enough to remember much but apparently he remembered enough. You wonder if he remembers how he had held you against him, crying quietly in the kitchen while you whipped his tears. How he had gently lowered his forehead to yours and held your palm against his beating heart. You don’t want to press the subject, especially if he doesn’t remember everything.

“Don’t mention it, I’ll bill your parents later.” You joke, forcing yourself to chuckle. Steve laughs lightly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He looks you up and down, nodding his head towards his jacket you’re still wearing.

“The jacket looks good on you.” He says. You look down at the old bomber jacket, moving to unzip it.

“Yea sorry I just borrowed it to walk home last night. I, uh, couldn’t sleep.” You tell him, the unspoken truth behind your words not lost on him. He’s familiar with your anxious habits that don’t always make sense. That you have a tendency to walk away when your brain won’t settle down. His hand stops yours on the zipper, pulling it away.

“It’s okay, you can keep it.” He tells you. “I don’t wear it anymore anyways.” He explains, looking down at his hand encircling your wrist.

“Thanks Steve.” You beam up at him. He smiles back , his thumb running over the underside of your wrist. Your heart leaps. In that moment you wonder if he’s somehow feeling where Billy’s lips had been the night before. But that’s ridiculous.

“It will be a nice reminder of me while I’m gone. Along with this.” He says, pulling something from his pocket. Your eyes widen at the sight of a delicate gold chain, glinting in the sun, a small pendant hanging perfectly in the center.

“What is that?” You ask in confusion. Steves’ smile only grows as he drapes the shining metal over your wrist, easily clasping it in place.

“It’s your Christmas present. I’m giving it to you early cause I won’t be back until after new years.” He tells you, one hand still gently cupping your wrist. “The lady told me it’s real so it won’t leave a ring or anything.” He tells you as if it’s the most casual thing in the world.

Heat flushes your cheeks as you inspect the bracelet. You take in the intricate beauty of the simple chain, small links twisting and interlocking into a light strand of glittering gold. A simple pendant hangs from the middle. A brilliant shining sun, catching and reflecting the light, casting off its own rays as it hangs from your wrist. It’s beautiful. More elegant than anything you’ve ever owned. Something twists low in your gut.

“Steve, I can’t take this.” You tell him, moving to unclasp the chain. He instantly pushes your hand away.

“Of course you can.” He insists. Suddenly his eyes fill with worry. “Do you not like it?” He asks, his smile falling. Your stomach sinks.

“No, I- I like it, it’s really beautiful. It’s just too nice.” You try to explain. Steve sighs with relief, his smile returning in an instant.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just a bracelet, it’s not like I bought you a car or something.” He laughs at his own joke. You struggle to maintain your smile. You know that money isn’t really an issue with Steve’s allowance but it doesn’t make you feel any better. He should be saving his money for school, not spending it on pretty things for you. Steve’s eyes catch on to your discomfort almost instantly. “Please accept it.” He pleads sincerely. “I saw it and immediately thought of you.” He explains, one of his fingers flicking over the sun pendant.

Your heart swells at the sentiment. It’s unbearably cheesy, and very Steve. When your eyes glance up to meet his you’re once again met with the big brown puppy eyes, the hangover makes them look especially sad. You have to suppress a groan.

“Okay.” You finally give in, earning an ear to ear grin from Steve that pulls a smile out of you as well. “Thank you, Steve.”

“Merry Christmas, Babysitter.” He says, pulling you into a crushing hug.

“Merry Christmas.” You reply, wrapping your arms around him. He holds you tightly, pulling you up and into him. “I didn’t get you anything.” You admit, shamefully burying your face in his shoulder. His responding laugh shakes both of you.

“Can I request an official document declaring that I’m your best friend?” He asks. Your cheeks burn at the memory of you and Steve admitting that you are each other's best friends the night before. You laugh, trying to swat at him but he keeps his arms locked around you. “Can I get it notarized as well?” He adds, still laughing.

“Oh shut up.” You groan, earning another laugh. When he finally lets you go, you take a half step back. You’re hyper aware of the bracelet, holding your arm slightly away from your body to keep it from catching on any of your clothes and potentially scuffing it.

“Aren't you flying out today? When are you supposed to head to the airport? ” You ask, glancing at your watch.

“I was supposed to leave 10 minutes ago.” He tells you flatly. You gap at him.

“You what? What are you doing here? You’re going to miss your flight you dork!” You practically yell at him, giving his arm a shot towards his car.

“I had to come say goodbye.” He says, laughing as he opens the door and allows you to shove him into the driver's seat.

“You could have just called!” You say, slamming the door closed as soon as his legs are in. You see him laugh again through the window. The engine roars to life as Steve cracks the window, still smiling.

“No I couldn’t.” He says, like it’s a fact. That gets an eye roll from you.

“Get out of here before I’m stuck with you all winter break.” You tell him, unable to stop the small smile that he always manages to drag out of you.

“I’ll call you from the resort!” He tells you, putting the car in reverse and pulling out of the drive. “Don’t miss me too much!” He calls from the end of the driveway. “I’ll try!” You call back, waving goodbye as Steve gives you one last smile before pulling into the street. You watch the car speed down your street and disappear around the corner before heading towards the house.

An uneasy feeling settles over you as you make your way to your door. You and Steve had quickly become inseparable since the night the gate closed, it was a seamless partnership. It made you feel like there was someone there who had your back. You know that Nancy and Jonathan are still close but the knowledge that Steve will be alone for the next two weeks fills your mind with a low level of anxiety.

A chill snakes down your spine and your hurry into the house. You feel unsettled from the thoughts of Steve being so far away and practically unprotected, your palms itch with the need to do something. Instinctively you begin checking the safety of your own home. Moving quickly and efficiently you check locks on all the doors and windows, then lay hands on all the hidden weapons in the house. When you’ve checked all of them, you settle at the table with your fathers Barretta, pulling out the cleaning kit. It's monotonous work, but cleaning the pistol always seems to ease the itch in your hands when your anxiety picks up.

Rolling up the sleeves on the jacket your attention catches on the glint of gold around your wrist. You examine it for a moment, looking at how the delicate chain contrasts against your sun damaged skin. How it stands in opposition to your calloused hands, your fingernails chewed down to the quick, cuticles picked to an angry red. Your stomach twists.

It really is a beautiful piece of jewelry, delicate and perfectly balanced. Traits you can’t see in yourself. It really is too nice for someone like you.

What if you broke it or scratched it? What if you lost it on a walk? What if you fucked it up?

It’s too good for you. You wish it wasn’t, but it is.

You carefully unclasp the chain, lying it gently on the table before you start cleaning. You lay out the cleaning supplies, setting the pistol down on a rag in front of you. Then you settle into the process of disassembling and cleaning all the small pieces of the weapon. You remember when Hopper had taught you how to properly clean a gun. He told you that he and your dad would sit in silence for hours just sipping on drinks and cleaning the small harmless parts of the deadly machines. He always stressed that it was vitally important for you to understand the inner workings of a gun before ever picking one up. How all the pieces fit together, and if even one small part was missing or broke it would alter the functionality with devastating results.

Your fingers slowly darken with the combination of CLP cleaning oil and burnt carbon. You work diligently, rubbing at any blemishes remaining. When you’re satisfied that the gun is clean, and the anxiety in your mind has lessened slightly, you reassemble your gun and pack up your cleaning kit.

You move to grab the pistol, intending to put it back where it was hidden in your nightstand but pause your eyes catching on how dirty your hands are. You go to the sink and scrub at your hands until they are rubbed raw. When you’re sure that no remnants of carbon or oil cling to your hands, you pick up the gun in one hand and the gold bracelet in the other. You walk to your room, securing the pistol to the underside of your nightstand and placing the glimmering chain on the surface.

You can’t risk accidentally damaging it. Better to keep it here, safe. Your fingers ghost along the edges of the sun pendant, still managing to catch some of the light, glimmering up at you.

The sound of a revving engine causes you to jump.

Billy.

Your eyes dart to the time. 1156. You had lost track of time and nearly forgotten that Billy told you he would pick you up at 12. Not knowing what to expect, you just grab your bag, still packed from your walk, and head out the door before Billy can make enough noise to wake your mom.

Before you step out the door, you take a deep breath, reminding yourself that you have killed monsters before and faced shady government agencies, you should not let Billy fluster you the way he does. You are going to be so calm, he’s going to get bored and stop teasing you. That’s the plan.

His eyes are on you from the moment you step out of the house, his gaze follows you all the way to the car. Climbing into the passenger seat you notice he’s playing a cassette, it’s the first time you’ve actually recognized the song. You can’t remember the name, but it’s one of the songs Max showed you that day after school.

“You didn’t have to drive me.” You tell him, buckling your seatbelt. Billy immediately rolls his eyes, huffing a laugh.

“Yea, tell that to the duct tape holding your shoes together right now, loca.” He shoots back.

“It’s only one of them.” You grumble, settling into your seat. Billy just chuckles.

“It’s just a ride crazy, don’t make a big deal about it.” He tells you, putting the car in reverse and pulling out of your driveway.

AN: sorry this took so long 😬

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wheneverfeasible · 2 months ago

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playing with fire🔥

wc: 5k || rating: T+ || cw: some swearing and suggestive language || summary: While Steve and Robin are discussing how best to get Robin to ask out Nancy, Eddie enters and has a jealous misunderstanding. || also on ao3

They’re playing with fire and he knows it.

He’s playing with fire. The chances of being burned are of course high, but he can’t stop himself either way. He wants this, wants him, more than he’s ever wanted anything or anyone. He can only pray that he’s right and Eddie wants him back.

It had started after Eddie’s expedited trial, after hours of working with the group to find the best defense to clear Eddie’s name, after the judge agreed that Eddie wasn’t guilty and he was free to go, after Eddie had cried silent tears of shock and they’d thrown a huge party. After Steve got to see Eddie living life again.

Eddie became a major fixture of their lives and Steve began realizing that he never wanted that to stop. He’d stopped dating because he found he’d rather spend time with Eddie, would always gravitate towards Eddie whenever they hung out with a full group, would always glance over at Eddie when something funny happened or was said because he wanted to see Eddie’s response.

It was when Robin had come to him in tears with the secret that she liked Nancy, feeling horrible for betraying Steve by having a crush on his ex, that Steve realized he didn’t have those feelings for Nancy anymore because he had them for someone else: Eddie Munson.

“I think I like Eddie,” he had blurted out while Robin was mid-rant apologizing profusely and promising she’d never do anything and would always support him and Nancy being together, which had the benefit of effectively shutting her up when his words processed, her mouth gaping as her eyes bugged. It at least gave him a chance to say that she didn’t need to apologize at all because it wasn’t like she could control who she had a crush on, even if Steve had still been in love with Nancy and was trying to win her back, which…he wasn’t. He hadn’t thought about Nancy in that way in a long time.

Speedrunning his sexuality crisis didn’t take long, thankfully. It might have taken longer if he hadn’t been impatient to getting to the part where he could acknowledge his crush on Eddie, of course, and being able to continue liking him from the respectable distance of friendship like had with Nancy and Robin before both those feelings petered out. Except…

Except Eddie continued to flirt with him, and Steve would sometimes flirt back, sometimes making it a game for who could say the most cringe stuff and sometimes making Eddie flush high on his pale cheeks. Eddie would then quickly change the subject, push past everything like it never happened, but it filled Steve up with hope. Especially when the flirting started to get more physical with them all but cuddling together when they watched movies, even when they were amongst friends and not alone, or when Steve would crash at Eddie’s some nights and he’d wake up with his arms full of Eddie, or Eddie pressed along his back.

He had even felt Eddie’s morning wood before, pressing into his lower back where they were curled together, and he discovered that he definitely did not mind that one bit. He hoped to experience it—and more—again frequently.

The only thing Steve didn’t understand was Eddie’s reaction to Nancy.

He always seemed jumpy when she was around, always looked startled when he’d see her while he and Steve were cuddling or flirting. He wished Eddie wouldn’t care about that stuff. Nancy was after all the second person Steve had told after realizing he was bisexual, because yeah they were exes, but they were also friends. And unlike with Robin or Eddie, she hadn’t been around when he realized these things about himself.

Steve kept meaning to tell Eddie that Nancy was fine with queer people, though he kept getting distracted by Eddie being, well, Eddie. He had even told Nancy about his own crush on Eddie, actually. What’s more, there had been something in her expression when he explained what bisexuality was that made Steve think that maybe his little group of young adult friends was actually more fruity than he realized.

Though Eddie had never actually said the words to come out, there had been enough rumors about Eddie in school that Steve hadn’t really been all that surprised when the guy first flirted with him when the world was ending for the umpteenth time, and after Jonathan and Nancy broke up, Jonathan had begun spending a lot of time on the phone with Argyle and sometimes even Dustin’s girlfriend’s older sister, with him even going to meet up with them after graduation. He’d returned with hickeys that were obviously from two different sized mouths and a pep in his step Steve could only be envious of.

Nancy realizing she might like girls was what led them to this moment, however, Robin and Steve with heads bent together as they discussed all the things Steve remembered Nancy liking and the things she didn’t. If his best friend was going to try to pick up his ex, he’d be damned sure that he helped out in whatever way he could.

“What about a bouquet of fresh flowers with one artificial one in the middle? The card could read, ‘I’ll love you until the final petal falls’ or something.”

“God, that’s so cringy, Dingus!” Robin huffed out in laughter, a large and exaggerated eye roll following. “Does Nancy even like that shit?”

“I’m just saying!” Steve protested, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. He thought it was a good idea. But…she had a point. That wasn’t really Nancy’s thing. He could admit that more and more of his suggestions stopped being about Nancy and started being about things he thought Eddie might appreciate. Cringy and embarrassing and over the top and weird. Yeah, maybe he’d take that idea for himself then…

And then, as if summoned by his name whispered in Steve’s thoughts, Eddie walked into Family Video at just that moment, catching sight of their conspiratorial looks as they whispered ferociously to each other. The shop was empty, of course, but they were still careful.

“What are you two whispering about now?” Eddie laughed, sauntering as though carefree, though his eyes continued to dart around whenever he entered a new area, as though looking for something hiding in dark corners, though whether it was monsters or townsfolk who didn’t fully believe in his innocence was always in question.

Probably both, honestly.

Steve moved his eyes from Eddie’s entrance to Robin, knowing that so far she hadn’t come out to anyone else yet, though obviously that would hopefully be changing soon once she’d figured out the best way to ask out Nancy. Steve felt like the keeper of sexualities here suddenly, knowing everyone’s secret but unable to tell anyone else (though he was certain Jonathan and Nancy might be aware of each other’s as well).

Robin hesitated for a moment, her gaze likewise shifting to take in Steve. They exchanged silent words for a moment, his encouraging while hers were begging to be encouraged, and then she was relaxing against the counter with a small sigh of acceptance and shot Eddie a grin next.

“Just thinking about the best way to woo Nancy,” she said with a wiggle of her brows, though Steve could tell that there was still some anxiety in saying it out loud to another person. Even if that other person was Eddie Munson, who would hopefully be more than just a friend soon. Robin had complained about having Eddie as an in-law before, but she’d never been able to fully hide her teasing smile when she’d done so.

Christ. If Robin was actively going to be brave and do this though, was actually going to ask Nancy out, then he needed to be too, right? Eddie was interested, he had to be. What with the rumors and the flirting and the way his fingers lingered just a little bit too long whenever they touched…

Eddie’s expression, however, blanked.

“Oh,” he said tonelessly. He then blinked rapidly, shook himself, and plastered a smile on his face as he moved towards the shelves of VHS’s.

The smile, Steve noticed, did not reach his eyes.

“Well. Good luck with that,” Eddie said, turning his gaze towards Steve for some reason when he said that. “Wayne asked me to pick him up a movie,” he explained, picking up one called Vision Quest before frowning at the cover. “Something about that dude’s face bothers me,” he muttered to himself, putting it back.

“You know, you could sound more enthusiastic,” Robin drawled sarcastically, obviously trying not to pout.

Eddie shot her a pinched look, gaze darting to Steve again before hastily looking away. “Hey, I already said it was some true love shit. Do you need me to hold Steve’s hand during it?” he scoffed. “Might cramp his style.”

Steve exchange a furrowed brow look with Robin. Why would he need to hold Steve’s hand for Robin to ask out Nancy? Not that he was complaining about holding Eddie’s hand. No, quite the opposite in fact. And what was that about true love? He didn’t recall them ever mentioning Nancy and Robin together before.

He shrugged at Robin’s silent question asking what Eddie’s sudden deal was before turning his attention to the metal head and lifting his hand to wiggle his fingers.

“I dunno, Munson. Maybe I do need you to hold my hand,” he teased, though he wanted to frown again when, instead of laughing or smiling or teasing back, Eddie scowled at the next movie he picked up. He hesitated before moving around the counter. “Hey, you okay, Eddie?”

“Fine!” Eddie said hurriedly, and a little aggressively to be quite honest, Steve couldn’t help thinking. Rude. Eddie just huffed though and put the movie back before scanning for something else, eventually picking up something called Hoosiers. Steve had been eyeing that one for himself, actually, since it intrigued his inner Indianian jock, but he’d let Eddie take it for Wayne if he wanted. Maybe he could actually watch it with Wayne.

That was another benefit of his and Eddie’s friendship: Wayne Munson. Though the guy didn’t know all that had gone on, he knew enough to just let the fact that his nephew was suddenly best friends with a Harrington slide. And he liked sports, giving Steve someone to talk to about it finally besides someone still in high school.

Though, sometimes Lucas joined in on it, and the three of them would watch a game together at the trailer while Eddie just shook his head at having three sports lovers in his life suddenly. Steve could tell he was secretly pleased, however, and was always a little nicer to Lucas to make up for being a jerk about it all before everything went down. He even now went to all of the kid’s games, sitting between Steve and Wayne for protection against anyone who thought to start anything.

Eddie had once asked if Steve was sorry he could never take a date to the games anymore, to which Steve had answered that he’d brought Eddie, hadn’t he? And they even had their own personal chaperone with Wayne. Eddie had flushed, hidden behind his hair, but didn’t bring it up again like Steve had expected him to like they did with other reoccurring jokes.

Anyway, back to Eddie’s sudden moodiness, Robin had less far patience for Eddie’s shit than Steve did, seeing as how she wasn’t the one with a raging crush on the guy. She rolled her eyes and picked up a bag of Reese’s Pieces and threw it at Eddie. “Why are you being such a dick right now? Stop being homophobic.”

That got a reaction out of Eddie. He spun around to face Robin, ignoring the bag that hit his shoulder and fell to the floor while spluttering and pink in the face. “How am I being homophobic, Buckley? How is that even possible when I’m—” Eddie cut himself off quickly, shooting Steve what looked like a panicked expression for some reason. “A-anyways, how am I being homophobic right now?”

“I mean, I literally just came out to you and you didn’t even bat an eye. You just ignored it to go huff about…I don’t know, whatever it is you’re huffing about,” she snarked, and Steve could tell she was just barely refraining from rolling her eyes again, and also that she was a little hurt her grand revelation didn’t merit a reaction. He moved over and bent down to pick up the fallen bag before it could be crushed under Eddie’s sneakers as he stomped to the counter, shaking his head a little at their antics, though he glanced at the bag with a small smile too.

Eddie was actually the one that informed him about the history of the candy. How it had been a relatively newer candy, not all that popular compared to the well-known M&M’s, but the latter company had declined being featured in that alien puppet movie a few years back and so the Reese’s brand stepped in instead. After the movie did so well, the candy exploded in popularity, which Steve thought was just simply crazy.

Eddie was full of random facts like that. He never made Steve feel stupid for not knowing them either, which was honestly one of the main reasons Steve had started falling for him as hard as he was. He wondered if that meant he had some kind of praise kink, since he still thought about Eddie’s compliments back during everything and felt his stomach pleasantly squirm at them.

Now, however, Eddie was suddenly leaning over the counter and staring at Robin with wide eyes and a dropped jaw, causing Robin to rear back in startled and confused concern.

“Holy shit, Buckley, you’re a…” He swallowed, tensing as he glanced over his shoulder at Steve, before looking back at Robin with raised brows. “You-know-what?” he hissed.

Robin and Steve exchanged another confused look (Steve could vaguely hear Dustin’s snide voice telling them that their faces would stay that way if they didn’t stop) before she snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. “A raging, flaming lesbian? Yes, Munson, I thought that was clear by the fact that I’m trying to score a date with Nancy Wheeler.” This time she didn’t refrain and rolled her eyes again so hard it looked like it hurt.

“Yeah, dude,” Steve snorted as he moved to lean back against the counter beside Eddie, resting one elbow on the countertop as he tore open the bag of candy still in his hand. He offered it to Robin first, who held out her hand and let him pour some out, not taking her hand back until he picked out the yellow ones from her palm. They were his favorite and she always let him have them, just he let her have all the orange ones.

He held the bag out to Eddie next, who still looked gobsmacked for some reason. He shook the bag until Eddie held out his hand automatically. With the same automation Eddie began picking out the yellows and oranges to set them aside in front of Steve and Robin respectively, keeping the brown ones for himself. Robin began picking out the browns from her hand for him as well as Steve divided up the rest of the bag.

“Wait wait wait,” Eddie said after a moment. He turned to look at Steve. “You knew she was…” he trailed off uncertainly.

“Gay? I should hope so since I’m trying to help hook her up with my ex-girlfriend,” he grinned with a chuckle, dropping a few of the yellow pieces in his mouth. He winked at Robin. “You know that means that we’ll have inadvertemph—” Steve started to say before Robin’s free hand was covering his mouth to prevent him from saying something crude about being with the same girl.

“Don’t be repulsive,” Robin shuddered, dropping her hand with a yelp and grimace when she felt Steve lick her palm, grumbling as she wiped it off on her vest while Steve just continued grinning at her.

Eddie watched this like he was watching a tennis match, his brow furrowing in further confusion. “Wait…so…” He thickly swallowed, glancing at Steve with a peculiar expression on his face. Steve hoped it was, well, hope. “You’re not trying to get back with Wheeler?”

“Absolutely not,” Steve said, dropping the rest of the yellow pieces in his mouth and scrunching the bag up to drop behind the counter, chewing the large mass quickly. “That ship has long since sailed.” He was the one that hesitated this time, and even without looking at her, he could hear Robin’s silent communication. He shuffled a little against the counter, turning to properly face Eddie.

Shit. He hadn’t been expecting to do this so soon. The fire he was playing with could very well burn him alive right now if this went poorly. But…

Eddie liked him. He had to, what with the way they’ve been flirting and all but canoodling when they watched movies and things together.

“I, uh…I actually have someone else I’m interested in,” he admitted.

And…oh. Eddie’s face, which had started to look hopeful at the thought that Nancy wasn’t his interest anymore, fell again. And that…Steve knew what that meant. He was good at flirting again, could tell when girls were genuinely into him, and he’d picked up those signs from Eddie plenty of times before. He had been second guessing everything because Eddie was a boy.

But he knew this.

Eddie had thought he was interested in Nancy still and had become as bitchy as Steve could get. He looked hopeful when Steve said he wasn’t into Nancy. Looked dejected when Steve said there was someone else.

He had thought it was true, but…this confirmed it, didn’t it? Eddie showed all the right signs of having a crush on him. Eddie liked him.

Steve’s grin then was blinding. Robin choked a little on her own orange Reese’s Pieces before scooping the last few up from the counter into her hand and muttering about needing to check the back for something. God, he loved her so much.

“You are?” Eddie asked, and Steve could see him drawing back into that bitchy shell he’d been hiding in earlier. God, he was adorable.

“Yeah, I am. He’s really smart, but also kind of dumb. I’ve been flirting for ages and he still somehow hasn’t clocked that I have this massive crush on him apparently. I thought I was being obvious,” he teased.

Eddie was still withdrawing backwards, even physically this time as his body shifted to turn away, that familiar pinch between his eyebrows. Steve suddenly recalled a similar look when Eddie threw his vest at him back in the Upside Down, when he and Nancy had been lightly flirting.

Ohhhhh, Eddie’s down bad for him, Steve couldn’t help but think with an even wider grin. Even before Steve had clocked it all. He could only lament his double-guessing things for so long now. He might have been able to score a boyfriend months ago if he’d recognized and accepted the signs sooner. Oh well. No time like the present.

“Well, I’m sure she’s just shy,” Eddie muttered, eyes glaring down at one of the brown candies on the counter with pursed lips. He placed his thumb down on it and pushed until the hard candy shell cracked and the peanut butter filling inside smeared out. Steve couldn’t even find it in himself to be annoyed enough to care. He was far too pleased with himself. “Probably doesn’t think someone like King Steve could like her.”

That was another tell-tale sign that Steve had always ignored. Eddie had a habit of referring to him as his old moniker whenever Steve would talk about taking out girls before. It made Steve wonder if this crush Eddie had on him had been going on for a while. Even ever since high school.

Damn, but Steve really was an idiot for missing out on it for so long. Despite what he had thought was reciprocal interest this entire time, known to the both of them, he hadn’t been quite certain Eddie felt the same way. But surely his own interest had been evident? It wasn’t like he hid his sexuality, had been more openly flirting with Eddie, and sometimes even Jonathan for the fun of it, though both he and Jon knew it was just teasing and nothing real.

Though…

“Eddie,” he laughed, shaking his head. Eddie just started smashing another Reese’s Pieces piece causing Steve to roll his eyes. “Eddie,” he said a little more firmly, finally making the pair of brown eyes he thought about a little too much maybe turn to look at him. “I said ‘he,’” he pointed out.

Confusion marred Eddie’s face as he tried to work out what Steve was telling him. It made Steve wonder if he really did give off such great hetero vibes that Eddie’s gaydar hadn’t clocked him yet despite everything. And he thought his gaydar was shit. Jesus fucking Christ.

“‘He’ who?” Eddie finally asked, still looking confused.

“We’re talking about my crush,” Steve reminded Eddie, and sue him if his own tone got a little bitchy, but Eddie was being completely obtuse.

“What, does she have a boyfriend?”

“Oh my god,” Steve huffed out, partly annoyed and partly completely fucking enamored by the idiot before him. But he supposed that meant Eddie was in good company, since Steve was an idiot too for not having clocked how obvious the older boy was with his crush all this time, even before Steve had been aware of his own feelings. Two dumbass peas in a pod.

Shaking his head, Steve reached out and covered Eddie’s hand decimating the candy with his own. “My crush, Eddie. I said he’s really smart but kind of dumb,” he said with slow emphasis on the correct pronouns.

Eddie had stilled under Steve’s hand when he covered Eddie’s, but it took a few moments more of furrowed brows and pursed lips before Steve’s words finally seemed to catch. Eddie stiffened, his muscles going tense, his expression going slack and neutral.

Steve should have expected it, should have known that Eddie still wouldn’t get what Steve was trying to say, but the look of utter devastation that briefly crossed Eddie’s face before he swallowed it down hiding behind his hair by ducking his head, still surprised Steve.

How was Eddie not getting this?

Huffing slightly, Steve slid his hand from Eddie’s to reach out and brush Eddie’s hair back, hooking it behind his ear. “Like I said. Kind of dumb. He never seems to realize when I’m seriously flirting with him. I would have thought it’d be obvious by now. It’s not like I cuddle with Jon when we watch movies together.”

Eddie, this time, finally seemed to be catching on. He sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening before ever so slowly turning to face Steve. The flush to his cheeks and forehead rapidly spread through his entire face and down into the collar of his shirt. Steve thought he should be congratulated for not pressing Eddie into the counter to find out just how far down that flush went.

“You—” Eddie’s voice squeaked out. He cleared his throat, his eyes darting over Steve’s expression as though looking for the trick, the trap, the joke. Steve made certain his expression didn’t changed, though he wondered how comforting his expression of exasperation could really be.

Steve let his eyes drop purposefully and tellingly to Eddie’s lips, licked his own which caused Eddie to jerk slightly, and then finally looked back up into Eddie’s eyes with a smirk. “Yeah, man. I mean, I even told him I wanted him to hold my hand and nothing.” He winked. “Maybe he wants to hold something else.”

Typically Steve would not be quite so scandalous when flirting with hopeful-conquests, but he also knew that Eddie wasn’t like any girl he had ever flirted with before. Eddie was brash, frequently abrasive, and more than frequently over the top. He was like a bull in a china shop sometimes, honestly. And Steve couldn’t get enough of it.

Or the way Eddie seemed to choke on his own air, a strangled and incredulous laugh leaving his prettily parted lips. Big brown eyes still stared at him disbelievingly, but at least Eddie was turned fully to face him now. Steve reached out again to twirl a finger in Eddie’s hair.

“Y-you’re not…straight?” Eddie wheezed out, and at least it was a full-ish sentence. Progress.

“Bisexual, actually,” he happily announced, leaving Eddie looking even more floored. “Something about having a guy pin you to the wall and then later say some really nice stuff about you tends to make you realize when you maybe kind of want to kiss him,” he added, a little sheepishly this time.

“Mostly the nice stuff,” Steve quietly admitted with a small laugh. “Don’t get me wrong, the pinning to the wall was nice once you get past the fear your jugular is about to get ripped out by a broken bottle, but it’s really the dude making me feel like I might actually be a good person and always being really nice to me when I don’t understand something that really made the crush grow.”

Eddie’s shaking hand reached up to lightly grasp the one still playing with his hair. “You…you really have a crush on…this guy? Like a real one?”

Steve could only grin, taking a small step closer. “Absolutely. He’s kind of adorable, actually. Tries to put up this big bad rockstar vibe, but I happen to have it on good authority that he’s actually a big softie nerd who cried when an animated toaster got crunched up rescuing his friends,” he lightly teased.

“He was so brave,” Eddie pouted, distracted for a moment by the memory, before blinking rapidly, because there was no way to pretend that Steve’s crush could be anyone else now. He drew in a shaky breath, his eyes darting between Steve’s, and then the most beautiful smile Steve had ever seen spread across his lips. Steve felt dizzy at the sight.

Feeling a little more confident now, Eddie leaned in slightly, his eyes dropping to Steve’s lips before looking back up into Steve’s eyes. He still had to clear his throat a little before speaking again, but the wariness was finally absent from his expression.

“I happen to have it on good authority that your crush might just like you back,” he murmured, and Steve was enraptured by the way Eddie’s eyes sparkled up at him.

“Yeah?” he murmured, swaying forward despite the public location. The store was dead, sure, but they could be interrupted at any moment, or seen by pedestrians walking by the shop. “Think he might be up to pinning me to another wall lately?”

Eddie grinned. “I think he’s willing to pin you to anything you want, big b—”

“Oh my god, please shut the fuck up,” Robin’s aggrieved voice broke in, startling the both of them so badly that they jumped apart as though electrocuted.

Of course, after realizing it was just Robin, Steve gave the bitchiest eye roll of his life and rested a hand on his hip. “You’re just jealous because you can’t flirt with Nancy yet,” he said, tone matching his eye roll. “I’ve been telling you to just hurry up and do it, Buck.” He glanced at Eddie and indicated Robin with a look that clearly said ‘can you believe this hopeless lesbian’ which caused Eddie to snort.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Hairy. Like you weren’t whining to me about Eddie just three days ago,” she snarked, causing Eddie to grin and Steve to flush this time. “At least wait until your next break before you shove your tongue down his throat or anywhere else.”

“Robin!” Steve gasped, completely scandalized, pressing his palm to his chest. “I expect at least one date first before I shove my tongue anywhere except Eddie’s mouth.”

Eddie choked, face once more flaming, but Steve could only grin at Robin’s disgusted expression.

“The first part sounds fantastic though,” he acknowledged, reaching down to grab Eddie’s hand in his own. “I think I’ll take my first break now. Be back in fifteen, sweetie!” he laughed, tugging a dazed Eddie towards the front door, knowing Eddie’s van was parked somewhere nearby.

“Don’t forget to use protection later, you whore!” Robin merely called back, and despite all her snark and annoyance, Steve knew she was happy for him. And happy for herself that she didn’t need to hear him mooning after Eddie anymore, though she would probably come to regret what Steve was like now that he and Eddie were together.

It was fine, she’d get her payback once she asked out Nancy later that night too.

As for Steve, he proved himself to be a liar, because that night he definitely put out before their first date. Though, he figured with a teasing smile when Eddie brought that up, they had been on several dates at Lucas’s basketball games, remember? So really, he had plenty of lost time to make up for that night, again and again and again.

They might have been playing with fire, him and Robin, but how else were you expected to keep warm?

Fun fact! The bit about Reese’s Pieces is true! They’re also my favorite candy. Also, the movie Vision Quest (titled Crazy for You in the UK and Australia) starred a young Matthew Modine, who played Dr. Martin Brenner in Stranger Things. Hoosiers is about a high school basketball team in Indiana going to the state championships.

Hostage tag: @derythcorvinus

Courtesy tag: @katyawriteswhump

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